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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Nursery preparation is one of the most fun things during pregnancy . It can be a little stressful if you are constrained with time but, if you happen to have the time and the energy, it can be really enjoyable. I had a relatively easy pregnancy with almost no vomiting, little sleep issues and moderate feet swelling. So, I got to do some handmade projects for my daughter's nursery including a dresser change over, putting a wall paper, and a making a mobile hanger. When I think about those days now, I recognize that all my creative juices were flowing with the pregnancy hormones. It is funny how the women body works...

When I first started looking at the baby mobiles, I was overwhelmed like all the other baby products, there is a ton to choose from. While shopping at a mall, I finally found a beautiful musical sheep mobile at Pottery Barn baby store on the sale section that I absolutely loved and bought. I then needed something to hang the mobile from. I searched online and found mobile hangers that attaches to the crib. I thought that these were not safe and the colors were also not a good match for my daughter's gray colored crib. They usually come in white or brown. So, I came up with an alternative colorful solution to this by hanging the mobile from the ceiling. I bought some pastel felt balls to match the wall paper and crib colors from Craftywoolfelt on Etsy. This store has lots of color options to choose from. I used the string that came with my order and a transparent fishing line to line the felt balls to make it sturdy enough to carry the weight of the mobile. I spaced the balls half an inch apart from each other .

You can even make these felt balls yourself which I have done before for a necklace (tutorial is here). However, I decided to buy this time to save money and time.

I used a metal hook to hang it from the ceiling and tied the string to a strong knot. The one suggestion I have for you is to keep the height not too long. When my daughter started to stand up to pull, I had to adjust the length so she wasn't able to pull it. This crib mobile turned out to be one of the favorites of my daughter while she was little and she loved watching the sheep turn and play for a long time before she fell asleep.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Although I celebrated my daughter's first birthday couple months ago, I wanted to share some of the photos from the birthday party with you.

Few events in life are as precious and well treasured as your first born's first birthday. It is such a big milestone! I have started planning my daughter's birthday about 2 months before the day. Even though she is a fall baby, I wanted to go with a spring theme which is one of my favorite seasons. I also thought it will be fun to use some bright colors. I and my husband hosted the party at our home so all the decorations were made for the space and for an indoor party. We have actually celebrated not only my daughter's but also her friend's birthday together whom we are very close with as a family.

Being a crafty and a busy working mom, I tried to find easy handmade decoration ideas. I however wanted to make it personalized and special so, I tried to find kits that I can put together and customize. For the backdrop, I used giant issue flowers for my flower wall display. The Martha Stewart pom pom kit worked perfect for this. The kit came with 5 flowers in salmon pink, fuchsia and sunny yellow. I assembled all the flowers one night after my daughter went to bed. You can watch a video on how to make these flowers form this link.

Next, I made a happy birthday manner. For the banner, I got really lucky and found a very cute colorful kit in a craft store. I glued letters onto pre-cut flags and assembled a banner using a white ribbon. The colors worked out perfect! I should advise you to look at Etsy for banners if you are planning a party, where you can find so many creative banners in any color you want at a very reasonable price...

When I hung the banner, I made two rows in order to fill the large wall. I have also used some birds and butterflies on the decors to make it lively. I found these cute bugs in the dollar store...

Another center piece I prepared was a photo display with photos of my daughter from her birth to her first birthday. This took me the most time to prepare just because I have so many beautiful photos of her and it was really hard to choose which ones to use. I recycled a hard poster board that had styrofoam back for this project. Using a razor, I cut a number one and then glued photos to the board. Here is an example where I was inspired from. I accented the photo display wit a pink pineapple polka dot tassel garland I bought from Studio Mucci at Etsy.

Now comes the baby accessorizing... I made two baby cone hats using scrapbook paper, felt, wool ball, and a fun flower ribbon. I simply made a funnel cone from paper and decorated it. I loved how the hats turned out.

Of course, sparkles are a must in any party or "thing" I do or make. So, I bought a giant gold foil balloon from Urban outfitters. I used the inflated balloon as a fun space filler in a corner of the room. This matched really nicely with the tassel garland and also the birthday hats.

The spring party was in full bloom, fun and cheerful. Most importantly, it
was very memorable for us. The party started at 2pm. We served mostly finger
food (cupcakes, fruit salad, vegetables with dip and also had a
croissant sandwich bar). The one tier birthday cake was delicious and just
enough for everyone. As party favors, I had an assortment of small
turkish hand towels. Those were also a big hit!

Definitely one of the best parties I have hosted and got prepared for! Hope you enjoyed my post...

About Me

Welcome to A Cup of Sparkle. My name is Melike. I am the designer and owner of A Cup of Sparkle Jewelry shop and blog. I love creating and sharing.
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